Principlev1

Navigate vertically through abstraction layers by asking

Navigate vertically through abstraction layers by asking 'why' to move up (toward theory) and 'how' to move down (toward procedure), using gaps in either direction to diagnose missing cognitive infrastructure.

Why This Is a Principle

This principle derives from Schemas as Knowledge Organization Structures (schemas specify relationships between concepts) and Abstraction Necessarily Discards Information (abstraction retains selected features while discarding detail). It prescribes a specific operational technique - bidirectional traversal using 'why/how' questions - for working with abstraction hierarchies. The principle is actionable (tells you what to do), general (applies across all schemas), and follows logically from the axiom that abstraction operates on a continuum with meaningful structure at each level.

Source Lessons

L-0336

Schema abstraction layers

You can build schemas at different levels of abstraction each serving different purposes.

Connections

Derived From (3)

AxiomSchemas as Knowledge Organization Structures AxiomAbstraction Necessarily Discards Information AxiomConstrual Level Effects on Perception

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